Amid tensions of recent months, Biden speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping

Biden touched on cybersecurity issues during the roughly 90-minute conversation and generally sought to have a “broad and strategic discussion” on how to handle the competitive US-China relationship to avoid tipping into conflict, according to Biden. a senior administration official who spoke to journalists. before and after the call. The official described the tone of the call, which Biden took from the White House residence treaty room, as “respectful” and “familiar and outspoken.”

The Biden administration has signaled that it plans to continue to take a tough approach to China – similar to former President Donald Trump – but that it will do so in coordination with its allies, and hopes to set parameters that allow countries to voice their concerns and areas of disagreement, but also work together when it is in the interests of both countries.

“If China and the United States work together, both countries and the world will benefit; if China and the United States clash, the two countries and the world will suffer. The China-US relationship is not a matter of choice as to whether it should be done well, but a mandatory question of how to do it well, ”Xi said, according to the Xinhua report.

The Chinese leader said the two countries can continue the dialogue to “promote coordination and cooperation” on issues such as climate change, Covid-19 and other international issues.

In the Biden administration’s first face-to-face with Chinese officials earlier this year, the two sides exchanged diplomatic spades that are rarely displayed on cameras. Biden officials said they plan to address areas of deep concern about China’s actions, which sparked an aggressive response from Chinese officials.

“We continue to believe that it is really important to set parameters and safeguards for competition and to keep lines of communication open. But these lower level engagements have not been very successful and, frankly, we were not very satisfied with our behavior as interlocutors, “said the senior official before the call.” Given this reality, and you know what our consistent approach has been from the start in terms of responsible management of the competition, lines of communication, President Biden understood the importance of directly engaging President Xi on these issues. “

The official added that “it is very likely that commitment at the leader’s level is really what is needed to move the ball forward,” given Xi’s centralized power.

Regarding the specific issues of tension between the two countries, the official did not provide a full list, but said North Korea and Iran could be discussed as part of a general discussion of the relationship.

The overall goal, the official said, was to achieve “a stable state of affairs with the United States and China.” But it will be a daunting task, given that Biden has presented the US-China competition in recent months as a battle between democracy and autocracy.

On Afghanistan and the Taliban, the official said the administration did not expect Biden to make a “special request” of China, and after the call, the official only said that the leaders had spoken of “world events”.

Biden and Xi are expected to meet at some point, but the official didn’t expect a specific plan to be announced during the call.

This story has been updated with additional details from the appeal.